levonfarra
Aug 19 2007, 02:14 AM
Mine were painted over, during PO paint job.
thanks,
Levon
davep
Aug 19 2007, 07:03 AM
Normally it is a 30 second task. With yours painted over it may take 30 minutes.
orthobiz
Aug 19 2007, 08:34 AM
The top of the seal is like a letter "T" and can be pulled straight upward at wither end with strong fingernails. Then it's easy to pull the rest out. Or, a screwdriver blade on its side could push the front end of the seal up but risks scratching the paint.
New ones are available; I can't remember exactly where, but I think they were listed for about 2 bucks apiece somewhere recently...
Paul
swl
Aug 19 2007, 08:37 AM
That's encouraging Dave. I always thought you had to take the fender off to do it. I'm in the same boat as Levon but also have a little surface rust showing there. Replacing the seal would really help. Could you give us a quick how to?
rhodyguy
Aug 19 2007, 08:44 AM
if the trim pieces are painted over, score the paint just on the edges of the cowl trim with a utility knife with a NEW blade. just prying them out may lift the surrounding paint. hopefully the gap was not just filled with bondo.
k
swl
Aug 19 2007, 08:55 AM
Thanks guys. Sort of begs the question of why you would do a quality paint job without removing the seals? I suppose for the same reason some just mask easily removed components rather than remove them. The word quality doesn't mean much to some. I know that if I was going to spend 2-3K (or more) on a paint job I'd certainly spend a weekend or two stripping the thing down. Mind you in the case of the new yellow car the paint job was really slap happy. Overspray on the front trunk carpet, lousy masking of the A pillars, even the car cover in the trunk has a spray line on it. Oh well - looks a hell of a lot better than my old car so who am I to complain!
Allan
Aug 19 2007, 09:10 AM
QUOTE(swl @ Aug 19 2007, 06:55 AM)
Sort of begs the question of why you would do a quality paint job without removing the seals?
Maybe they also thought the fender had to be removed to replace them. IIRC, don't the fenders have to be removed to replace the seals between the fenders and the body on the old bugs?
Rusty
Aug 19 2007, 09:36 AM
If they're really old (brittle) and wedged in there, warm up the area by leaving the car in the sun for a while. They'll be more flexible and easier to remove.
swl
Aug 19 2007, 10:24 AM
QUOTE(Headrage @ Aug 19 2007, 07:10 AM)
Maybe they also thought the fender had to be removed to replace them.
Good point.
Not everyone knows about the massive collective knowledge of this place!
Certainly I never removed them when I had the old car painted back in the day.
IronHillRestorations
Aug 19 2007, 03:38 PM
Not to rain on your parade, but I'd question the quality of paint prep, if they didn't pull these before painting.
More than likely you won't be able to remove them without leaving some kind of chipping, or at best a scribe line. At this point, I guess I'd let it alone, and live with it as is. But don't ya just hate it when you know it isn't as it should be??
rhodyguy
Aug 19 2007, 04:23 PM
esp when 5(tops) minutes worth of lazyness=who knows how much $$$$ to undo.
k
Pat Garvey
Aug 19 2007, 04:43 PM
QUOTE(Headrage @ Aug 19 2007, 09:10 AM)
QUOTE(swl @ Aug 19 2007, 06:55 AM)
Sort of begs the question of why you would do a quality paint job without removing the seals?
Maybe they also thought the fender had to be removed to replace them. IIRC, don't the fenders have to be removed to replace the seals between the fenders and the body on the old bugs?
On the old bugs (I did it on a '65) they are screw mounted, but you can do it without removing the fender. Loosen the screws slightly, take the 2 uppermost ones completely off & feed the seal in place. Put the screws back in, but leave them slightly loose. Go forward or towards the rea, using the same technique until the seal is completely mounted. Tighten everything up. Doesn't take long if you WD40 the screws ahead of time (24 hrs).
914's are soo much easier - the top bead, that is.
levonfarra
Aug 19 2007, 09:33 PM
Thanks for the great advise everybody.
I am stoked! I scored the paint with an x-acto blade and pulled them right out with no problem, no pulling the paint up either.
Anyone know where I can buy new cowl seals (prefer OEM).
Levon
Rusty
Aug 19 2007, 09:45 PM
Cool... congrats.
Check the usual suspects. I know that I got mine from Tweaks.com, part number 400-164, 99 cents per side.
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